0
June 2012, Vol 166, No. 6 >

Full Content is available to subscribers

Subscribe/Learn More
Article | June 2012

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Individual Differences in Sedentary Behavior During Adolescence:  A Twin-Family Study

Niels van der Aa, PhD; Meike Bartels, PhD; Saskia J. te Velde, PhD; Dorret I. Boomsma, PhD; Eco J. C. de Geus, PhD; Johannes Brug, PhD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(6):509-514. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.1658.
Text Size: A A A
Published online
Article
Figures
Tables
References
Comments

Objective  To investigate the degree to which genetic and environmental influences affect individual differences in sedentary behavior throughout adolescence.

Design  Cross-sectional twin-family design.

Setting  Data on self-reported sedentary behavior from Dutch twins and their nontwin siblings.

Participants  The total sample consisted of 5074 adolescent twins (aged 13-19 years) and 937 siblings (aged 12-20 years) from 2777 families.

Main Outcome Measures  Screen-viewing sedentary behavior was assessed with survey items about weekly frequency of television viewing, playing electronic games, and computer/Internet use. Based on these items, an overall score for screen-viewing sedentary behavior was computed.

Results  The genetic architecture of screen-viewing sedentary behavior differed by age. Variation in sedentary behavior among 12-year-olds was accounted for by genetic (boys: 35%; girls: 19%), shared environmental (boys: 29%; girls: 48%), and nonshared environmental (boys: 36%; girls: 34%) factors. Variation in sedentary behavior among 20-year-olds was accounted for by genetic (boys: 48%; girls: 34%) and nonshared environmental (boys: 52%; girls: 66%) factors.

Conclusion  The shift from shared environmental factors in the etiology of sedentary behavior among younger adolescents to genetic and nonshared environmental factors among older adolescents requires age-specific tailoring of intervention programs.
Figures in this Article

Sign In to Access Full Content

Don't have Access?

Register and get free email Table of Contents alerts, saved searches, PowerPoint downloads, CME quizzes, and more

Subscribe for full-text access to content from 1998 forward and a host of useful features

Activate your current subscription (AMA members and current subscribers)

Purchase Online Access to this article for 24 hours

Figures

Place holder to copy figure label and caption
Grahic Jump Location
+Image not available.
View Large  |  Save Figure  |  Download Slide (.ppt)  |  View in Article Context
Image not available.

Figure 1. Genetic model for sedentary behavior with moderating effects of age on genetic and environmental path coefficients. Squares represent measured sedentary behavior. Triangles represent mean level of sedentary behavior (M). The total variance in sedentary behavior is modeled as caused by additive genetic influences (A), common or shared environment (C), and nonshared environment (E). Under this model, a, c, and e represent the unmoderated genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental path coefficients, respectively, and the α, γ, and η coefficients represent the moderating effects of age. If, for example, α is significantly different from zero, the magnitude of A changes as a linear function of age. Path coefficients a, c, and e, as well as the α, γ, and η coefficients, were allowed to differ for boys and girls. Genetic correlation (rg): monozygotic twin pairs = 1; dizygotic twin pairs and twin-sibling pairs = 0.5; shared environmental correlation (rc) = 1. t1 Indicates the first twin of a twin pair; t2, the second twin of a twin pair; and sib, sibling.

Place holder to copy figure label and caption
Grahic Jump Location
+Image not available.
View Large  |  Save Figure  |  Download Slide (.ppt)  |  View in Article Context
Image not available.

Figure 2. Changes in mean levels of sedentary behavior as a function of sex and age. Standardized regression coefficient β = −0.12 r2 = 0.014.

Place holder to copy figure label and caption
Grahic Jump Location
+Image not available.
View Large  |  Save Figure  |  Download Slide (.ppt)  |  View in Article Context
Image not available.

Figure 3. Changes in the absolute and relative contribution of genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental effects to variation in sedentary behavior as a function of age for boys and girls.

Tables

Interactive Graphics

Video

Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

References

Correspondence

Submit a Letter
CME
Accreditation Information
The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The AMA designates this journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM per course. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Physicians who complete the CME course and score at least 80% correct on the quiz are eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM.
Note: You must get at least of the answers correct to pass this quiz.
Clear Answers | Save For Later
You have not filled in all the answers to complete this quiz
The following questions were not answered:
Sorry, you have unsuccessfully completed this CME quiz with a score of
The following questions were not answered correctly:
Commitment to Change (optional):
Indicate what change(s) you will implement in your practice, if any, based on this CME course.
Your quiz results:
The filled radio buttons indicate your responses. The preferred responses are highlighted
For CME Course: A Proposed Model for Initial Assessment and Management of Acute Heart Failure Syndromes
Indicate what changes(s) you will implement in your practice, if any, based on this CME course.
NOTE:
Citing articles are presented as examples only. In non-demo SCM6 implementation, integration with CrossRef’s “Cited By” API will populate this tab (http://www.crossref.org/citedby.html).
Compression-Only CPR: Pushing the Science Forward
Cone
AAM 2010;304:1493-1495.
All you need to read in the other general journals
BMJ 2010;341:c5893-c1494.
Submit a Comment

Some tools below are only available to our subscribers or users with an online account.

Sign In to Access Full Content

Related Content

Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.

Articles Related By Topic
Food Consumption and Screen-Based Sedentary Behaviors in European Adolescents:  The HELENA Study
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(11):1010-1020. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2012.646.
Translating Developmental Genetic Findings Into Obesity-Related Clinical Practice:  Are We There Yet?
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(6):576-577. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2012.704.
Jobs

More Listings at
JAMACareerCenter.com >

© 2013 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
Powered bySilverchair Information Systems